Runaway
by LovePeeta
Summary: Gale isn't handling the Quarter Quell very well. When Katniss kisses Peeta on the beach... well, it's the last straw. One-shot.


**DISCLAIMER: All of the characters, plots, places, direct quotes, and everything else Hunger Games-related belongs to Suzanne Collins. I own none of it, and I am in no way associated with the Hunger Games franchise. No copyright infringement intended.**

**This is a one-shot from Gale's perspective inspired by the song Runaway by Love and Theft! It takes place during Catching Fire. Please review! :)**

I turn the bottle up and feel the last bit of alcohol sting my throat. The numbing effects are already taking over my body, but it's not enough. I get up and walk to the kitchen, tripping over a chair in the process. I take a moment to steady myself and then open the cabinet. Empty. I could have sworn there were several left… With a groan, I slam the door shut and turn around to see my mother blocking my path. Her arms are folded across her chest, and she is giving me the look of disapproval I've grown accustomed to.

"I poured them out, in case you were wondering."

I stare at her, confused. "What?"

"I poured them down the drain," she repeats. "You don't need alcohol to deal with your problems, and we both know Katniss would do much worse if she knew."

I'm enraged for a moment, but then I start laughing. My mother raises an eyebrow and asks, "Is something funny?"

I'm remembering the night President Snow announced the Quarter Quell. When I went to check on Katniss, I found her stumbling onto her porch clutching one of Haymitch's bottles. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she passed out before I could get her to the door. I'm not even sure if she remembered me being there the next morning. I laugh again darkly. No, Katniss would have no room to be self-righteous about my drinking habits. Then a scowl creeps onto my face. She would have no right to, but she would anyway. The more time she spends around Peeta, the more self-righteous she seems to become. I doubt she notices it, but he really has changed her. Peeta is just Mr. Perfect. Despite myself, I immediately feel remorse for thinking badly of him. The truth is he really is a good guy. And that's what I hate most about him. It's so hard to hate him. My mother clears her throat and looks at me with an impatient frown.

Slurring my words a little, I remind her, "I'll just buy more tomorrow."

She makes a disgusted sound as I brush past her and find my way to the couch. My back pops and then begins to ache as I settle into the cushions. Other than working in the mines, I had barely moved from my seat in front of the television since Katniss and Peeta left. I had foolishly thought it would be easier to watch her on the screen this time than it was last year. If anything it was harder because this time, I knew she wasn't planning to come back.

She never told me, of course, but it wasn't hard to figure out. Anyone could see that she and Haymitch were only going along with Peeta's insane training program for his benefit. It was irritating to watch, but none of it really sunk in until the day Peeta showed up at my house. He wanted to take a picture of me to put in a locket, which he planned to use to convince Katniss to fight in the arena. It was then that it really hit me. She was going to save Peeta and give up her own life in the process. I knew nothing he said would change her mind. She's just that stubborn. But I smiled for the camera anyway and wished him luck.

I look back at the screen and see that everyone in their little group is resting on the beach while Katniss and Peeta are on guard. They are facing opposite directions, but still sitting side by side. Katniss' head is resting on his shoulder. He strokes her hair, and it's obvious that she is comforted by his touch. It makes me sick because despite our years of friendship, she has never let me take care of her the way he does. Wait, what did Peeta just say? I lean closer and hear him say, "It's different for you. I'm not saying it wouldn't be hard. But there are other people who'd make your life worth living."

This is it, then. This is the moment when he will try to convince her to stay alive. I already know what the outcome will be, but I still watch closely as he pulls the locket from around his neck and opens it in front of her. Katniss' mouth drops slightly when she sees the pictures of her mother, Prim, and me. She stares at the locket wordlessly. Her eyes are filled with pain and longing. Maybe it will actually work…

Peeta takes advantage of her silence and adds, "Your family needs you, Katniss."

Yes, your mother and Prim need you. I need you. I can't believe it, but she looks like she is considering what it would be like to come back to District Twelve. Back to me. Please, Katniss.

"No one really needs me," Peeta says.

I didn't think it was possible, but her eyes take on even more pain than before. She is looking at him like she may never see him again. Then she says the words that will haunt me as long as I live. "I do. I need you."

That's when I know that, just as I expected, his efforts were in vain. He knows it too. He starts to argue with her, but then she kisses him. I thought I was used to watching her kiss him for the cameras, but there's something about her this time. This kiss is not to win sponsors or gain sympathy. It's real.

"Gale," my mother begins in a concerned tone, but her sympathy is no use. I'm out the door before I hear anything else she says.

I walk around the Seam twice, muttering under my breath. I earn a few curious stares from the people who watch me from their windows, but I ignore them. I'm purposely avoiding the woods because, if I start walking, I may never come back. Then the reality hits me. Just as Peeta said, no one really needs me. My mother will get by on her laundry business and Katniss' family has plenty of money and a fancy house. If I were to leave…

No, I tell myself. But after I finish circling the Seam a third time, I'm so on edge that my body practically slides under the fence without my permission.

"I do. I need you." Her words play in my head over and over again. But they aren't meant for me. When she made a choice to stay with me instead of running away with Peeta, I thought there might actually be a chance. But now… it was obvious who she would always choose. I guess it really has been from the time she held out those berries. I kick a rock, which sends a squirrel scurrying up the nearest tree.

Katniss, my Katniss, is going to get herself killed in the arena to save _him._ She's never coming back to District Twelve. Never again will I meet her in these woods to hunt or help her trade in the Hob. She'll never smile at me again like the rest of the world doesn't exist. The worst part is, she looked right at my picture and it didn't change a thing. I decide against trying to convince myself to stay. There's nothing left for me in District Twelve.

I walk for miles, letting my anger push anger push me forward. Finally, I reach the abandoned house and sit down. The anger has worn off, and now I'm left with another feeling that's harder to identify. Staring at the rolling hills in the distance, I wonder what's out there. Is there anything worth finding? I realize the answer is probably no. Other than the ruins of District Thirteen, there is nothing. Nothing there, nothing here.

I sit there for hours. And as the effects of the alcohol wear off, my head becomes clearer. Running away was a stupid thing to do. Even with my mother's laundry business, she still can't support a family of four. It is true that Prim and her mother will survive, but they will lose everything if Katniss doesn't come home. _When _Katniss doesn't come home, I remind myself. We made a pact years ago to keep our families alive, and it still stands. Even if our friendship doesn't. A small part of me acknowledges that she would do the same for my family, no matter how much I hurt her.

With an exasperated sigh, I stand up and start walking back. I'm considering how I'm going to explain my actions to my mother when I sense that something is wrong. All the birds have stopped singing except for one, just like the day when…. Oh, no.

I hear them before I see them. I look to the sky and there at least twenty hovercrafts flying straight for District Twelve. I have just enough time to notice the Capitol seal on the wings when the first bomb drops. Then I'm running.


End file.
